chacoan batrachians

8/4/2019 Chacoan batrachians

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Chacoan Batrachians in Central Argentina

Author(s): Jos M. Cei

Source: Copeia, Vol. 1955, No. 4, (Nov. 20, 1955), pp. 291-293

Published by: American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1440305

Accessed: 12/05/2008 22:45

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COPEIA, 1955, NO. 4

Fig. 1. Mapof northernand centralArgentina, howingbatrachian ocalities.1-Area containing relicts of Chacoan batrachian fauna on clayey soil near Punta de los Llanos, La Rioja. 2-Extensive saltplains knownas "Salinas Grandes"near Totoralejos, Cordoba.Habitat of Ceratoplhrys= Stombus)pierottii. 3-Area of relictChacoanbatrachianfauna on clayey soils nearJarilla, San Luis. 4-Xeric zone of the Central Chaco and the more humidareaalongsidethe ParanaRiver in the SouthernChacocontainingcharacteristicChacoanbatrachian auna. 5-Mountainous Andeanzone.T = Tucumln; SE = Santiago del Estero; Ca = Catamarca;Co = Cordoba;R = Resistencia;Cr = Corrientes;SL = San Luis;M = Mendoza.the province of La Rioja, was known to becomposed of only Bufo arenarum,Hyla riojanaKoslowsky (in the high mountains) and Lepto-dactylus ocellatus (Freiberg, loc. cit.).The native arid vegetation of the Punta delos Llanos is abundantly represented bybromeliads, Prosopis, Acacia, and typical ele-ments of the "central"xerophilousscrubforest,with some subtropical features (Pls. I-II).There are many rodent burrows, especiallythose of Kerodonand allied forms. The ento-mological fauna is very abundant (hyme-nopterans, ant, mosquitos, tenebrionids, etc.);in the pools are great numbers of chironomidlarvae, oligochetes and entomostracans suchas Branchipusand Apus of large size.In the province of Cordoba,in the aridplainsof the Salinas Grandes (alophilous biocenosis)severalhundredbreeding Ceratophrys= Stom-bus) pierottii were captured (1951, April).This little "escuerzo" was migrating along thenational road, near Totoralejos (29?40' SouthLat., 64050' West Long.) one day after a storm.They were mating and swimming in the tem-porary brackish pools situated in the Salsola-

covered ground of this part of Salinas Grandes.They were very active and pugnacious, showingfrequent cannibalism. They do not appear todiffer from the Ceratophryspierottii describedby Vellard (1946) from Hickman, CentralChaco or from those collected by me at Ing.Juarez, Teuco River, Formosa.In the temporary summer pools of the xericflat lands of Saladillo (alophilous biocenosis) afew breeding individuals of Lepidobatrachusasper, Ceratophryspierottii and Pleurodemasp.(nebulosagroup?) were captured (1954, Janu-ary). All adults of Lepidobatrachusspermatingwere exceptionally small (4.5 cm., snout tovent). Perhaps they represent a local, dwarfrace. During the rainy summer season of 1955these species were taken again and the sameecological observation was made by anotherobserver, Dr. A. Pisan6, from our biology de-partment (April, 4).Also in the xeric clayey region of San Luis(Jarilla, Alto Pencoso; 15 km. from the De-saguadera River, 33?25' South Lat., 67? WestLong.) I found during the wet season of 1951(December) a peculiar batrachian fauna with

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JOSE M. CEI-CHACOAN BATRACHIANS

Upper: Lepidobatrachusn attitude of attack; Pilcomayo River, Central Chaco, December, 1948.Lower:Typical xerophilous scrub forest near Punta de los Llanos, La Rioja, April, 1951.

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COPEIA, 1955, NO. 4

Upper: Temporary pool formed after rainfall in dry xerophilous clay land; Punta de los Llanos, La Rioja,April, 1951.Lower: Lepidobatrachus(La Rioja form) in characteristic non-aggressive attitude; Punta de los Llanos,April, 1951.

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R. M. WINSTON-BUFO REGULARIS. M. WINSTON-BUFO REGULARISsome Chacoan features (Fig. 1). There weremany temporary pools alongside the nationalroad to Mendoza during this exceptionallyrainy summer.The followingforms were taken:Leptodactylusbufonius,Physalaemus uscomacu-latus, Physalaemus sp., Ceratophrys ornata,Odontophrynusamericanus, Bufo arenarum. Iobserved many subterranean nests of Lepto-dactylus bufoniusin the clayey soil, and floatingfroth nests of Physalaemus fuscomaculatus inthe pools. There were many social burrows ofLagidium ("vizcacheras") in the vicinity, per-haps the shelters of LeptodactylusbufoniusandCeratophrys, s in the true Chacoan biocenosis.The invertebrate fauna of the pools was veryabundant at this period, especially entomostra-cans (Apus and related forms) and dipteranlarvae.

Only three species of batrachians wererecordedby Freiberg (1942) for the province ofSan Luis: Bufo arenarum, Hyla raddiana,Leptodactylusocellatus.My report shows thatthe fauna of this territory is a transitionalone.

some Chacoan features (Fig. 1). There weremany temporary pools alongside the nationalroad to Mendoza during this exceptionallyrainy summer.The followingforms were taken:Leptodactylusbufonius,Physalaemus uscomacu-latus, Physalaemus sp., Ceratophrys ornata,Odontophrynusamericanus, Bufo arenarum. Iobserved many subterranean nests of Lepto-dactylus bufoniusin the clayey soil, and floatingfroth nests of Physalaemus fuscomaculatus inthe pools. There were many social burrows ofLagidium ("vizcacheras") in the vicinity, per-haps the shelters of LeptodactylusbufoniusandCeratophrys, s in the true Chacoan biocenosis.The invertebrate fauna of the pools was veryabundant at this period, especially entomostra-cans (Apus and related forms) and dipteranlarvae.

Only three species of batrachians wererecordedby Freiberg (1942) for the province ofSan Luis: Bufo arenarum, Hyla raddiana,Leptodactylusocellatus.My report shows thatthe fauna of this territory is a transitionalone.

It is composedof the moreancient Chacoan sub-tropicalelements (ecologicalrelicts in the clayeysoil station nearJarilla)and the peculiarAndeanfauna of the nearbyMendoza province2.It wasimpossible during the wet summer of 1951 tofind the above mentioned forms anywhere be-tween the canfonsof the DesaguaderoRiver andthe westernarid zone of Mendoza.

LITERATURECITEDBERG, C. 1896. Batracios Argentinos. Annal.Mus. Nac. BuenosAires,5: 147-226.FREIBERG,MARcosA. 1942. Enumeracion iste-m,tica y distribucion eogrnfica e los batraciosargentinos. Physis, 19: 219-0.VELLARD, . 1946. Batraciosdel Chaco argen-tino. ActaZoologica illoana,5: 137-74.DIVISION BIOLOGfAANIMAL, DEPARTAMENTO

INVESTIGACIONESCIENTIFICAS, UNIVERSI-DAD NACIONAL DE CTYO, MENDOZA, ARGEN-TINA.2On December5, during the rainy summerseason of 1954,many breedingspecimensof a characteristic Cordilleran orm,Pleurodemanebulosa (Burm.),were taken in the clayey plainseast of San Luis.

It is composedof the moreancient Chacoan sub-tropicalelements (ecologicalrelicts in the clayeysoil station nearJarilla)and the peculiarAndeanfauna of the nearbyMendoza province2.It wasimpossible during the wet summer of 1951 tofind the above mentioned forms anywhere be-tween the canfonsof the DesaguaderoRiver andthe westernarid zone of Mendoza.

LITERATURECITEDBERG, C. 1896. Batracios Argentinos. Annal.Mus. Nac. BuenosAires,5: 147-226.FREIBERG,MARcosA. 1942. Enumeracion iste-m,tica y distribucion eogrnfica e los batraciosargentinos. Physis, 19: 219-0.VELLARD, . 1946. Batraciosdel Chaco argen-tino. ActaZoologica illoana,5: 137-74.DIVISION BIOLOGfAANIMAL, DEPARTAMENTO

INVESTIGACIONESCIENTIFICAS, UNIVERSI-DAD NACIONAL DE CTYO, MENDOZA, ARGEN-TINA.2On December5, during the rainy summerseason of 1954,many breedingspecimensof a characteristic Cordilleran orm,Pleurodemanebulosa (Burm.),were taken in the clayey plainseast of San Luis.

Identificationand Ecology of the Toad BuforegularisR. M. WINSTON

Identificationand Ecology of the Toad BuforegularisR. M. WINSTON

IN Lagos, Nigeria, in 1950 work was begun toestablish the Galli-Mainini or male-toadpregnancy test using Bufo regularis (Reuss)as the test animal. A biological test can only beestablished on an adequate knowledge of thetest animal, but the only information aboutB. regularis that could be found was a paperby Boulenger (1880) dealing with identifica-tion, a note on ecology by Seetzen (1855) andnotes on the male by Chhung Hin and Webb(1949) and Hughes (1949). It was necessary,therefore, to study the identification and ecol-ogy of B. regularis.Four main sites were chosen for observingB. regularis.The first was a large compound atYaba, 5 miles north of Lagos. This compoundwas approximatelysquareand contained a lakewhich became a dry hollow towards the endof the dry season, but which covered severalacresduringthe rains.Surrounding he lake wasclose-cut grass and at the peripherywere build-

IN Lagos, Nigeria, in 1950 work was begun toestablish the Galli-Mainini or male-toadpregnancy test using Bufo regularis (Reuss)as the test animal. A biological test can only beestablished on an adequate knowledge of thetest animal, but the only information aboutB. regularis that could be found was a paperby Boulenger (1880) dealing with identifica-tion, a note on ecology by Seetzen (1855) andnotes on the male by Chhung Hin and Webb(1949) and Hughes (1949). It was necessary,therefore, to study the identification and ecol-ogy of B. regularis.Four main sites were chosen for observingB. regularis.The first was a large compound atYaba, 5 miles north of Lagos. This compoundwas approximatelysquareand contained a lakewhich became a dry hollow towards the endof the dry season, but which covered severalacresduringthe rains.Surrounding he lake wasclose-cut grass and at the peripherywere build-

ings dispersed over cultivated ground. Threesides marched with similar compoundsand thefourth with a by-road across which lay severalacres of dense undergrowth and a pond. Thesecond site, at Oshodi 3 miles north-west ofYaba, consisted of a number of widely sepa-rated, ruinedhuts and laterite roads overgrownwith secondary bush. This site contained fivelarge concrete fire tanks at ground level, allfull of water, and numerous surface drains.The third site was at Hansa, 7 miles north ofYaba, where a by-roadcrosseda small, swampystream, and the fourth site was near Tapa, 4miles north-east of Yaba. At the fourth site anunfinished road crossed a large swamp fed bythe Hansa stream. All four sites were partlywooded. The Yaba and Oshodi sites differedonly in undergrowth,and the Hansa and Tapasites werevery similar but differedfromthe firsttwo. These four areas were visited many timesduring the 12 months from October, 1950 to

ings dispersed over cultivated ground. Threesides marched with similar compoundsand thefourth with a by-road across which lay severalacres of dense undergrowth and a pond. Thesecond site, at Oshodi 3 miles north-west ofYaba, consisted of a number of widely sepa-rated, ruinedhuts and laterite roads overgrownwith secondary bush. This site contained fivelarge concrete fire tanks at ground level, allfull of water, and numerous surface drains.The third site was at Hansa, 7 miles north ofYaba, where a by-roadcrosseda small, swampystream, and the fourth site was near Tapa, 4miles north-east of Yaba. At the fourth site anunfinished road crossed a large swamp fed bythe Hansa stream. All four sites were partlywooded. The Yaba and Oshodi sites differedonly in undergrowth,and the Hansa and Tapasites werevery similar but differedfromthe firsttwo. These four areas were visited many timesduring the 12 months from October, 1950 to

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chacoan batrachians

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